https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/NrYM9rPg6zutE9X5lYPkWQ

Editor’s Note:

In order to provide new perspectives and entry points for poetry readers and researchers, and to present a true picture of the current international poetry scene, the quarterly journal Rendition of International Poetry (multilingual) plans to conduct direct and effective interviews with 100 important poets (including 85 foreign poets and 15 Chinese poets) within the next 4-5 years. The interviews will be serialized the quarterly journal Rendition of International Poetry (multilingual) in bilingual form, and will also be published on domestic and foreign websites, as well as compiled into a book for publication (bilingual). 

We sincerely look forward to your support and cooperation!

编者按：

为了向广大诗歌读者和研究者提供新的视点和切入点，呈现当下国际诗坛的真实图景，混语版《国际诗歌翻译》季刊计划在未来4-5年内，对100位重要诗人（包括85位外国诗人，15位中国诗人）展开直接而有效的访谈。访谈内容除了在混语版《国际诗歌翻译》季刊以双语对照形式连载外，还将在国内外网站发布，并结集出版（双语对照）。

我们真诚地期待着您的支持与合作！

A Conversation with Italian Poetess Lidia Chiarelli

—Sixteen of a series of interviews for the quarterly journal Rendition of International Poetry

1. As one of the most influential poetesses, writers and translators in Italy at the moment, would you please make a brief self-introduction?

First of all, I’d like to thank Poet-Editor Zhang Zhi for this opportunity, The highlight of my career was meeting the daughter of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, Aeronwy, who opened the doors to poetry for me. I started out translating her poems into Italian, then moved on to putting my thoughts and emotions into verse. Together we founded the art-literary Movement “IMMAGINE&POESIA” (IMAGE&POETRY) in 2007.

2. In the context of globalization, do you think poetry in local languages is being “diluted” by poetry in English or other powerful languages? What’s your opinion on the threat of the “linguistic hegemony” to the diversity of poetry?

I believe that poetry in local or minority languages can survive alongside poetry in English or other powerful languages. It all depends on the commitment and work of enthusiasts of these minority languages in continuing to spread them and keep them alive.

3. In this dark era full of conflicts, climate crises and systematic oppression, many poets still indulge in lyrical aesthetics, do you think poetry can still serve as a “healer”? Or is it more of an “anesthetic” that allows people to escape from reality in a sense of illusory beauty?

This question brings to mind the famous phrase that Fyodor Dostoevsky puts into the mouth of Prince Myshkin:  ‘BEAUTY WILL SAVE THE WORLD.’ As Italian writer Lucilla Trapazzo says, ‘perhaps poetry will not save the world, but it can make a difference.’ Poetry, including lyric poetry, should therefore not be seen merely as an ‘anesthetic’ in these difficult times, but as the light that shows us a way out of the darkness that often surrounds us.

4. In your poetry writing career, have you ever encountered strict censorship or great pressure because of certain sensitive themes you express in your poems? How do you balance artistic freedom and social censorship? Does this kind of experience make you give up the themes you focused on and also affect the way of expression?

I would dare say that I have never encountered any censorship of my writing style.This is also because, by nature, I always try to see the positive side of things, not to criticize, and to try to understand different points of view.

5. What’s your view on the impact of AI on poetry creation in the digital era? For example, is the fragmented reading habit stunting the depth and complexity of poetry? When AI algorithms seem to know more about “poetic quality” than human beings, do you worry that poetry will lose its humanity?

I believe that poems today should not be too long so as not to bore the reader.

AI can enlighten us with “flashes” or “fragments” of emotions. We can learn to condense our thoughts into a few verses through AI. This does not mean that poetry should lose its human side.

6. Your poems often contain tones of rebellion, questioning, and even denial. Do you think that poetry itself is an art of “resistance”? Is this “resistance” directed at a specific social reality or a more universal human predicament?

Poetry in general can become an act of ‘resistance’ against the injustices we see perpetrated every day in different parts of the world. It can be a a real ‘banner’ for the universal human condition.

7. In the era of information explosion as well as entertainment orientation, do you think that poetry has been less brilliant and becomes an unpopular or even obsolete art form? What is your attitude towards the prospect of poetry?

I would say that in recent years we have witnessed a ‘renaissance’ of poetry thanks to the internet. No longer confined to school textbooks, poetry flows freely online. There are numerous poetry groups and poetry competitions where many poets of different ages enjoy putting themselves out there.

8. Would you please make a list of twenty outstanding contemporary poets (from your country or other countries) you admire or recognize?

According to my opinion, outstanding contemporary poets 

in Italy are

Mariangela Gualtieri:

Her poetry is often performative, with a strong sound and rhythmic component. Her main themes are nature, spirituality and the human condition. 

Claudio Damiani: 

Considered one of the most significant contemporary Italian poets, he graduated in Literature from La Sapienza University in Rome and was one of the founders of the literary magazine Braci.

Lamberto Garzia:

Lamberto Garzia was born in Sanremo. He is a poet and cultural operator (since 1993, his name has been linked to the organization of the Ossi di seppia International Prize for Unpublished Poetry). His poetry book La chanson deLambert won the Sinisgalli Prize in 1997.

Giuseppe Conte:

Giuseppe Conte is an Italian writer, poet, librettist, playwright, translator, and literary critic. In 1995-96, he contributed to the emergence of the Mitomodernism movement and was Winner of the PREMIO VIAREGGIO Poetry Prize in 2006.

Giovanni Stoccoro:

Giancarlo Stoccoro lives in Spino D'Adda. A psychiatrist and psychotherapist. A scholar of Georg Groddeck, he edited and introduced the Italian edition of the biography Georg Groddeck Una Vita, by W. Martynkewicz, 2006.

He has won many poetry awards and published several brochures and books.

Laura Trimarchi:

Poet, multifaceted artist, also involved in contemporary dance. In 1987, she moved to the Principality of Monaco, where she began her career as an artistic agent in the field of music and theatre with Trimarchi International Events. She joined the board of directors and cultural committee of the Dante Alighieri Society of Monaco, participating in the organization of prestigious events.

Lucilla Trapazzo:

Italian-Swiss poet, translator, artist and performer.

She has received numerous international awards and recognitions.A staunch advocate of human rights and the planet, her social and feminist perspective is reflected in many of her writings.

Claudia Piccinno:

Illustrious Italian poet, an unstoppable and selfless promoter of international poetry through her generous actions and her valuable translations of a series of books.

Antonia Petrone:

Antonia Petrone has had a passion for poetry since she was a young girl, when she arrived in Italy from America. Born in New York in 1979 and a resident In Torino, northern Italy for many years, Petrone is a poet, translator and interpreter.

Immacolata Schiena:

Immacolata Schiena's poetry is strongly civic-minded. Despite its simple language, the metaphors are complex but never difficult to understand.

……

Outstanding Contemporary Poets 

In the USA 

Stanley H. Barkan

Carolyn Mary Kleefeld

Bill Wolak

Marsha Solomon 

Maria Mazziotti Gillan

Hassanal Abdullah

In the UK

Peter Thabit Jones

Caroline Gill

In Belgium

Germain Droogenbroodt

In Palestine - Gaza City

Ahmed Miqdad

9. Are you afraid of being forgotten by time (or the audience)? Why?

I would like to be remembered above all for my initiatives promoting collaboration between poets towards a peaceful world. So, as Emily Dickinson said, “my life will not have been spent in vain”.

10. Finally, please say a few words to the readers of the Rendition of International Poetry Quarterly (multilingual). At the same time, please attach 4-6 of your representative poems, one brief biography as well as two high-resolution color photos of yourself. Thank you so much.

Rendition of International Poetry Quarterly is a tool for bringing together poets of different nationalities and backgrounds. It builds bridges and breaks down barriers.

We hope that it will continue its commitment to spreading culture and genuine friendship among peoples for many years to come.

"Gazeta Nacional" - Rassegna Stampa, disponibile in tutte le edicole, in: Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia e Montenegro - 22 novembre 2025

https://alessandria.today/2025/11/18/intervista-alla-poetessa-lidia-chiarelli-e-presentazione-della-sua-breve-biografia-e-della-sua-poesia-an-evening-sky-premiata-al-concorso-il-meleto-di-guido-gozzano/

http://www.setumag.com/2017/05/lidia-chiarelli-interview.html?m=1

1.      

1. Born and brought up in Italy, the land playing a crucial role in the fields of Art(s) and Literature, Please tell us about your background and actual life?
   

Being born in Italy,  being surrounded by various forms of Art and Poetry has certainly developed my love for both.  During my university studies however I turned my interest to English and American  Literature and Art.  As a teacher of English I taught creative writing courses. In my workshops I led my students to transform their emotions into short poems  and – with the help of an art teacher – into images too.          

Today I am operating in my Immagine & Poesia association working mostly on line, coordinating the work of hundreds of poets and artists from different countries, creating exhibitions, helping organize poetry competitions.

2.       You are both an artist and a  poet , which of those creative disciplines came  first in your life?

Poetry. My first encounter with poetry dates back to the 70s when I went to London for an English summer course for foreign students. One of the teachers suggested a kind of Poetry Competition and my poem “Rhythm of Life” was very successful.

Several years later the meeting with British poet Aeronwy Thomas (Dylan Thomas’ daughter) in Torino in 2006 and her principle of cross-fertilization among poets and artists opened up new perspectives by making it clear how art and poetry might  interact

3.       What really prompted you to become a poet and an artist (that is , your
    source of  initial inspiration ) ?

I started as a translator of English poems into Italian, then, remembering the successful London experience, I tried to write poems myself. Some American friends, including  editor-publisher Stanley Barkan of Cross-Cultural Communications, suggested to go on and to publish my first twenty poems.

In my début collection of poems Immagine & Poesia – The Movement in Progress  a few artists completed my poems with their artworks.

The image of my installation Poetry Tree was the conclusion of the book.

4.       Is there any particular subject or theme that you usually love to explore in
   your paintings and poems?

Poetry is emotion recollected in tranquillity, this sentence by William Wordsworth is the key that prompts me to write poems. My poems are usually inspired by nature in its different aspects, but also by urban views, the same perspectives that had attracted the attention of Allen Ginsberg in his poem Supermarket in California. 

Poetry is usually the scource of inspiration of my visual art: I create artworks starting from poems by  famous authors and – recently – from my poems too.

5.       Which poets and artists are your favourites and have had an influence on
    your works?

 My second book Sunset in cup  is a poetic sylloge that pays homage to 12 women writers of English or American literature dear to me: from Virginia Woolf to Emily Dickinson, from Christina Rossetti to Katherine Mandfield.

By  each of them I was inspired both for my poems and for my digital collages.

6.       What are the sequences involved in your writing of a poem and your working on a painting respectively?

Still referring to my latest artistic-literary production Sunset in a cup, I began studying the biography of the writer in order to deepen her knowledge and to get in tune with her: in some cases it was a sentence  or a phrase in particular to arouse my inspiration. After writing the poems, I tried to turn words into images and I created the digital collages.

7.       You are one of the editors of the online anthology, Immagine and poesia, published annually.  Please tell us about it and your other works (poetry books and paintings)?

Since the inception of the Movement Immagine & Poesia (Torino Italy, 2007) I have tried to put into practice the principles of our Manifesto and through the web I have encouraged Poets and Artists around the world to join us with their works.

To date with the help of Canadian editor-poet-artist Huguette Bertrand, an anthology has been published annually for 4 years: Lawrence Ferlinghetti, icon of the American Beat Generation, has been one of the contributors in the issues of 2016 and 2017.

8.       What impact does the fusion of Poetry and Art have on the human mind, soul and society as a whole?

Beauty will save the world, says Prince Miškin in a famous novel by Dostoevskij.

Well, I think that these words can be true in the difficult times we are experiencing: the Beauty of Poetry and Art can help us to build a better world.

9.       What type of poet  and artist would you  best describe yourself, the versatile one, the feminist or any other particular type?

I think of myself as a versatile poet-artist, I am particularly eclectic as an artist: my works range from installations, to paintings to digital collages.

10.   How can both Poetry and Art be used for the betterment of humankind?

One of the points of our Manifesto says that the inter-action of Poets and Artists can improve the understanding and the respect of the others. And  I do believe in this principle as the Poets and the Artists of Immagine & Poesia come from different geographical areas and cultural backgrounds and they all work for the same aim; they cooperate with reciprocal esteem and respect.

11.   What advise would you give to young and emerging poets  and artists?

As to Poetry I should say: read poetry, choose your favourite writers and build a list of mentors.

Get inspired by the environment or by the persons you know. Use concrete imagery.

Let me quote Wordsworth again when he writes that "all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" .

Similar passages for Art: study Art Movements, start with  an ideological basis and then select the best medium for illustrating that point. 

12.   As an experienced teacher, poet and artist, what message would you like to
      give to the world?

Every year we take part to World Peace Day (September 21) with an installation with poems and little  artworks on cardboards coming from different countries: our Peace Tree is a real symbol of Peace.

At the end of this interview I would like to recall the famous message of John Lennon and Yoko Ono

Give Peace a Chance.

 And the Poets and Artists of Immagine & Poesia really seem to put these words into practice.

INTERVIEW

Lidia Chiarelli Interviewed by Peter Thabit Jones

(The Seventh Quarry – Issue 20)

1. When did you first start writing poems?

My first encounter with poetry was back in the early '70s, when I went to London for an English summer course for foreign students. One of the teachers suggested a small poetry competition: we had to extemporize some poetic verses, and my poem "Rhythm of Life" was ranked among the best. Later, as a teacher myself, I taught creative writing courses. In my workshops I led my students to transform their emotions into short poems and - with the help of an art teacher - even into images.

2. Who inspired your early work?

My first poems were inspired by nature in all its aspects, wild and beautiful, but also by urban views, the same images, the same perspectives that had attracted the attention of Allen Ginsberg. His poem, Supermarket in California has appealed to me since the very first time I read it.

 I have always written after experiencing a real emotion, according to William Wordsworth’s definition "Poetry is emotion recollected in tranquility.”

3. Also you are an artist. Is there a link between both your poetry and your art?

Poetry and visual art, in my case, proceed on parallel tracks. Today I mainly try to put into practice the principle enunciated by Aeronwy Thomas: "Artists and poets can experience moments of cross-fertilization," and I often look for inspiration at images of fine art photos or of paintings created by other artists or vice-versa. Sometimes the words of poets lead me to put on canvas the emotions they have called forth in me.

4 . Can you tell us about the founding of Immagine & Poesia, your wonderful  poetry and art organization, and your aims for it ?

Immagine & Poesia is a dream come true. It all started from a meeting with British poet Aeronwy Thomas during her visit to our school in Turin in 2006. She discussed "cross fertilization" between poets and artists, and this was the first step to the enthusiastic project of founding an artistic-literary Movement. Within one year, we had a “Manifesto” and the official presentation of Immagine & Poesia at Teatro Alfa of Torino.

 Then a substantial encouragement to continue on this path came from the members of what I consider ‘’my American family” the artists of New York: Adel Gorgy and Marsha Solomon, Mary Gorgy, writer and journalist, and my American publisher Stanley H . Barkan. Recently artist and poet Caroline Mary Kleefeld from Big Sur, California, and Johnmichael Simon and Helen Bar-Lev, publishers of Cyclamens and Swords in Israel, have given their valuable support to the Movement.

And here let me thank you, Peter for being the representative and incomparable supporter of Immagine & Poesia in the United Kingdom

Today, through the web, Immagine & Poesia has spread around the world and is known and loved by hundreds of artists and poets.

Mary Gorgy, official art critic of the movement, has summed up our aims: “This group of poets and artists believe that the power of the written word and the power of a visual image, when joined, create a new work which is not only greater than the parts, but altered, enhanced, changed and magnified by the union.”

We, the artists and poets of Immagine & Poesia, are convinced that Art and Poetry can bring together people of different cultures, nationalities, and religions and lead them to cooperate with reciprocal esteem and respect.

And we hope, in the near future, to achieve a movement that more and more leads people to be mutually appreciative and tolerant through the channels of the written word and visual images.

5 . You collaborated with several artists in your latest book Immagine & Poesia – The Movement in Progress. Did you enjoy the experience ?

My début book Immagine & Poesia - The Movement in Progress can be defined as a compendium of, as the Movement suggests, poems inspired by artworks and images by painters or photographers who have drawn their inspiration from my words. It has been a completely satisfying experience that demonstrates how valid and well-founded are the principles stated in our Manifesto.

6 . Your husband is an artist and your son is a photographer . What is it like being longer available to creative family and you comment on each other 's work ?

We are a creative family and it is wonderful to share the love of poetry and art.

For several years the three of us have collaborated with the association " The Friends of Guido Gozzano " of Agliè (Torino) and each of us has brought a contribution – a painting, a fine art photo and a poem – on the occasion of the annual Prize “Il Meleto di Guido Gozzano.”

We carry out our work independently, but at the end we usually realize that we have worked on the same wavelength…

7. What are your future plans for your poetry? Another book?

Immagine & Poesia – The Movement in Progress has received very positive feedback, and since its release it has been selling on Amazon, on the Internet. I am pleased that it has also been acquired for public libraries here, in Torino and northern Italy, in France, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Malta, Poland, Argentina, China and in  the Usa,

The American poet, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, whom I had the honor of meeting in San Francisco last summer, had words of appreciation for my book and for the project we are pursuing.

 Many artists and poets have written to me to let me know they are interested in participating with their works in the event of future publications. And, in the meantime, our activity of publishing collaborations between artists and poets continues on the web.